


'Tis the Season

by rivlee



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Found Families, Gen, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 21:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5513528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivlee/pseuds/rivlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For HBO War Secret Santa 2015, with the prompt of: Babe/Roe seen from Bull's perspective</p>
<p>Or rather: where there is a bar and a proposal and a Christmas theme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	'Tis the Season

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Issay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Issay/gifts).



Bull Randleman didn’t like to cast aspersions on those different from him, but there was no way Johnny and Luz trying to hang Christmas lights across the ceiling of the bar was going to end in any way other than a trip to the hospital.

“You need some help there, boys?” he asked. 

Johnny gave him a one-finger salute in response while Luz just laughed. 

“Martin, I think he’s trying to say something about us.”

Bull just pointed to the stack of old phonebooks on top of the chair that Luz stood on, perched on his tiptoes. 

“Good thing we’re right across the street from a hospital then,” Luz said. 

“You take down that liquor shelf, you’re going to need the coroner once Toye gets his hands on you,” Bull said.

Luz looked down at Johnny and frowned. “The man has got a point. And when he’s got a point, he’s got a point. Bull, you mind giving us a hand?”

“Wouldn’t mind if I did,” Bull said.

They’re special event tonight was for family, after all, and Bull never liked to disappoint his own. 

**************

Joe Toye was the one who bought the bar after he came back from war down a job and a leg. Toye didn’t know much about starting a business, working for himself, or how to go about running a bar, but he knew Luz, and Luz somehow knew everyone. Luz was the one who recruited Bull from his old job, running a kitchen for a man more concerned about his bottom line than his integrity. Bull brought Johnny with him, because they’d been a team for over ten years by that point, and where one went they both followed. 

At firs the idea of turning an old mechanic’s shop into bar seemed the kind of pipe dream that only worked in the movies. Bull’s idea of real life didn’t include for men as stubborn as Joe Toye, as connected and charming as George Luz, and business partners as smart as Vera Keller. She’d been the one to drum up their reputation among the hundreds of employees who worked at St. Mark’s across the street. Vera had sworn back then they’d only needed an in with a couple of people--word would spread and with good food and service the reputation would build itself. They’d had a steady stream ever since and it felt like their entire crowd of regulars were part of Bull’s own family now.

There was Dr. LeMarie, a neurosurgeon who always came in with a tired smile and ordered a hot chocolate even if it was the middle of summer. They kept a box of Swiss Miss at the bar just for her. Dr. Bryan, the pediatrics surgeon who always had some cartoon character Band-Aids on his arms and proudly told them which of his patients assisted him that day as he did his rounds. Dr. Spina, a fan of knitted caps, sweaters, and scarves, and who had, according to Luz, the shittiest taste in beer in the world and an addiction to chili cheese fries. 

There were too many RNS, LPNs, paramedics, administrators, and various other staff members to name, but a few always stood out. Poke, always in purple scrubs and there to destress before going home to his family. Speirs, who had a face like the meanest son of a bitch you’d ever seen that changed instantly when he smiled. Skinny, who always smelled faintly of mint and hand-sanitizer and chewed on coffee stirrers like his life depended on it. Lena, who could drink them all under the table and often did when someone mistook her for a lightweight. 

And then there was Dr. Eugene Roe. Gene was a bit special to all of them, from the time he helped them bail out the place after a flood, to helping them back in the kitchen last Thanksgiving when their cook walked out, to the probably thousands of dollars of free medical service he’d doled out through advice and a harsh, _don’t tell anyone you got this ankle set anywhere outside a medical facility, asshole_ , to Johnny. Of course it helped that he _was_ basically family to one of their own, which was why they were turning the bar into a winter wonderland in the middle of January. 

There most popular bartender, Babe, had fallen for Gene about four seconds after setting eyes on him. Fallen right on his ass in front of everyone. Considering not even a week later he was over at the hospital with a dart in his hand and sheepish, apologetic Luz agreeing that blindfolded darts was never a good idea, there were definitely worst first impressions to be made. Gene had never run away scared though, and Bull had always respected the man for staying steady through whatever whirlwind Babe had whipped up around himself that week.  
Bull loved Babe like he was his own kid, but that boy courted chaos like no one’s business. 

“I never took Babe as the romance type,” Luz said as he looked out over the bar. “Still, I’d be hard pressed to turn down in a marriage proposal in a place looking like this.”

There was a soft, warm glow to the bar with the twinkling lights. It smelled like home—apples and cinnamon and vanilla. There were small decorated trees, and glowing snowmen, a soft, fuzzy, light-up Bumble. If Bull didn’t know better he would’ve expected to see snow outside.

“Why Christmas?” Johnny asked. 

“It’s personal,” Babe said. 

The kid looked nervous, happy, scared, and shaky. Just about right then. Bull remembered being that like when he stood in his shoes. 

“Get the boy a beer,” Bull said. 

Babe shook his head. “I’m good.” He smoothed a hand down the cuffs of his suit. “I don’t want to mess this up. Bill would kill me. He spent hours ironing the cuffs to get them just right. He even got polish for the cuff links.” Babe reached a hand up to fuss with his hair and dropped it. “Is it okay if I pace? I’m going to pace.”

“Just don’t puke,” Toye said, his cane echoing on the floor as he came in. “We paid good money to have the place shining. Consider it your actual year-end bonus.”

“Thanks, Joe,” Babe said, a relieved smile in place. “I really appreciate all you’ve guys done.”

“We’re invested,” Johnny said. He clicked something over by the stereo and carols started playing, soft enough not to be grating. “We’ve been here since the start after all.”

Luz made a sound suspiciously like a sniffle and the room went entirely silent for a moment.

“Jesus, Luz,” Toye muttered and slapped the back of his head. “Save the tears for the wedding,”

“Got to ask him first,” Babe said. He glanced over at the door and checked his watch. “Another half hour right?”

Johnny nodded. “We got Julian on Roe detail. Spina agreed to help us too. They’ll make sure he gets off his shift. The supervisors over there know. Save an actual disaster, we’re good to go.”

“Right,” Babe said. He took a deep breath and shook his shoulders out. “Fuck, what’d I do with the ring?”

Bull laughed quietly and pointed to the manager’s office. “It’s in the safe. Fran dropped it off after you left their place without it. You’re going to get hell for it, kiddo.”

“Fuck,” Babe said again. 

Bull place a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Breathe, Heffron.”

******************

“Four years ago a guy walked into this bar and I almost dropped an entire case of SoCo on my foot,” Babe said. “And then I tripped, hit my head on the corner of the bar, and that guy was right in front of my asking how many fingers he was holding up, so hey, at least I got him to notice me.”

The entire bar full of friends and family laughed, as they watched Babe’s speech, his hands cradled in Gene’s own. 

Bull leaned back in the corner as he watched it all, settled down next to Perco who was standing a table filming it for the various Heffrons, Roes, and others who couldn’t be there. The table wobbled as Perco shifted his weight and Bull grabbed a hold of it just in case. Last thing they needed was Perco falling off a chair and Roe running over to patch him up. 

Gene ducked his head with a small laugh when Babe slid down to a knee and the bar filled with hoots and hollers.

“Looks like Babe knows how to assume the position,” Smokey yelled.

“He’s about to propose, asshole,” Stella said, slapping Smokey on the back of his head and forcing him down into a chair. 

“The first time we went out on a date, which ended up being at that horrible themed brunch place,” Babe said.

“You’re welcome,” Luz yelled.

“All I could think was how easy it was to talk to you; to tell you things that I really should’ve kept quiet about for at least another three dates.”

“You? Quiet?” Bill asked even as Fran rolled her eyes and slapped a hand over his mouth.

Babe’s face went red as his smile widened. “We talked about winter, how the holidays were hard times for us. Even then I could tell you about the people I missed and you—Christ, Gene, you gave the same. And then you said you’d never been somewhere cold for Christmas, and all I can think was, ‘Damn, I’ve got to let him meet my Ma.’ And then—as you sat there, stoic as ever with a crinkly paper pirate’s hat on you head, all I could think was I want to do this forever. I showed some restraint here. Waited four whole years.”

“Twenty bucks says he’s had that ring for three,” Perco said.

“Shut it, Perco,” Bull said. 

“So, Gene Roe, how about we do this for life, yeah?” Babe asked. 

Gene leaned down and pulled Babe up to his full height. “Yeah, okay,” he murmured low and pulled Babe into a long, sweet kiss to the approval of everyone.

******************

Someone had given Luz a microphone and he was a verse deep into his own very special rendition of _The Christmas Song_ when Johnny found Bull in the back office.

“You know there’s a party going on out there,” he said. 

Bull kept quiet as he continued to sort through the photos taken tonight. Mrs. Heffron had made some pretty clear demands of just how many she wanted. 

“Of course, it can’t be as nice as your own little fortress of solitude inside here,” Johnny said. He pulled the door closed as Luz hit a note perfectly off-key. “That’s better.”

“Don’t be mean, Johnny,” Bull said.

Johnny shook his head and slid onto a corner of the desk. “You suddenly forget who you married, Randleman? All that down-home folksy charm of yours finally knock the last of your sense out of your head?”

“Pretty sure that was you this morning when you kicked me out of bed,” Bull said. He tapped the screen and saved the slideshow before sending the link to Mrs. Heffron. “We did good tonight.”

“Tough to see the kids grow up though. At least they’re happy.”

There was a thump and a sound of shattering glass loud enough to even drown out Luz’s warbling.

“Jesus Christ, Alley, if that was you, I’m going to fucking kill you,” Toye yelled. 

Johnny sighed, shoulders dropping, and rested his forehead against Bull’s. “At least they waited until after the proposal to start in with the property damage.”

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to say that all the prompts were wonderful and if I hadn't been struck down by the Stomach Virus from Hell, I would've tried to write the others! I'm def. saving the Winters & Nixon one for a later date. 
> 
> Also thanks to the mod(s) for putting this all together.


End file.
